STi worth it over WRX? (I'm only 17.)

[kman10587]

I've been thinking about buying a WRX, due not only to its performance, but to its great crash test scores, four doors, and bulletproof reliability. Now, my parents could more than likely afford to get me an STi instead, but I dunno if it would be worth it. I've only been driving for half a year, I have little experience with performance vehicles, and I'm not very good with manual transmission yet. I'm afraid that the STi would be too difficult or dangerous for an inexperienced person like myself to drive.

I have a couple questions: is the STi just as safe and reliable as the WRX? And do you think it would be better for me to just get the cheaper WRX to improve my clutch-driving skills and learn how to handle a performance vehicle, or pay the premium for the STi and probably enjoy it much more later on?

Thanks a bunch.

[Jay!]

Who's gonna pay for the insurance?

[ragnarok720]

I went out to a junkyard once to buy parts off of a wrecked 2004 WRX. Turns out when i got there that the car was completely totaled. It took me 15 mins of looking for the car while it was infront of me to find it. The car apperenlty had been bought 4 days prior to it arriving at the junkyard. It had less than 4,000 miles on it and no dirt what so ever on the filter. The car had been doing 120 down a local road, lost control and wrecked into a telephone pole and literaly wrapped itself around it. The driver and passenger survived. I honestly wouldnt give a performance car to an unexperienced driver but if there was any choice of which i would give if i had to, it would be the wrx or the sti.

[kman10587]

jay: My parents are probably gonna pay the insurance, but if the WRX is significantly lower than the STi, I'd definitely take that into account.

ragnarok: Well, I want to learn how to handle a performance vehicle, and yeah, the WRX/STi seem like the best choices to learn on. I just don't know if it will be a waste for me to get the STi over the WRX, since I won't be able to fully unlock either car's potential until I have more experience.

[dropmech]

Don't even think about an STi. With your experience, you'll have a hard time with the Rex. If I were you, I would get a 2.5. Learn how to drive an AWD car with a good amount of power. Seems if your parents are paying for your car AND insureance(lucky s.o.b.) they wouldn't mind helping you trade in the 2.5 in a year or so for a Rex when you're ready for it. Plain and simple, if you were my kid and I knew what I knew about the WRX, you would be driving a 2.5. You have plenty of time in your life to get a fast sports car. Spend a while getting experience.

[kman10587]

That, or I can engine swap an STi 2.5 into the 2.5 RS later, when I'm ready...

[dropmech]

You would have to be pretty mechanically inclined. The wire harness alone takes professionals a couple of weeks to figure out. You would need a whole new drivetrain, computer, turbo, intercooler, etc... You would probably be better off just trading it in later down the road.

[kman10587]

Well, I'd rather save some money (I'm not mega-rich like you think) and just get the WRX. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it driving it normally; I'm not nearly as stupid as most 17-year-olds, who try to pull shit that they know they can't handle, at the risk of not lookin' cool if they back down. I want to learn how to drive a performance vehicle, and the WRX just seems like the best choice for someone newer to driving.

[booswrx]

get the rs until you learn to drive better sounds lioke your parents have money so you can just put a few mods on it and be good to go but if i think back to 17 id want the wrx/sti too. but if i had something like that i wouldn't be writting this now. too much power for you

[kman10587]

Well, I am a really careful and attentive driver, and I'm not gonna race in a WRX before I know how to drive it well. I'm not a ricer or anything, I just a safe, reliable car that also has some performance potential so that I can train myself.

BTW, my 96 V6 Camry, which weighs about the same as a 2.5 RS according to www.edmunds.com, makes more power than the 2.5 RS. Granted, the Camry is FWD, but I know what 200+ torque feels like.

[FDTT]

Well i would have to saw get the WRX. No need to get the STi. And IMO the WRX looks better than the STi anyway.
The EJ20 is not hard to get the power out of. 400whp is not uncommon. The only real weak point to the cars is the tranny. They dont take to much punishment. (Very bad thing if you are a new driver learning how to drive an AWD manual tranny car).

But to learn out i would deffinetly start with the 2.5RS. And then build up the skills required to get the driving portion down, then work on the power part.

[SilentKilla]

Fk that get the STi dude, or get a WRX and see if u sell that in a year if ur parents would get you an STi, that would be cool to, get the WRX over the 2.5rs for sure.

[TheLogikal1]

man you guys must be loaded..

"get the rs...then get the wrx...then get the sti"

dude, if youre gonna eventually go big, get the sti, and save yourself alot of cash.

my advice, just dont have a lead foot and be careful when driving.

the sti is a great car, but you dont need to be an expert racecar driver just to drive it.

[kman10587]

I don't really want to get an STi, because the insurance is going to be RIDICULOUSLY high, and I am gonna have a hard time driving it even at low speeds.

The WRX looks really nice, but I've heard that it's not the smoothest shifter in the world, and the clutch isn't all that easy to use.

Taking into account the fact that I'm new to manual, I'm probably just gonna get a used Integra or something (Hondas are extremely easy to shift I've heard), and once I get the hang of stick shift driving, I'll move up to the WRX, or maybe even the STi.

[kman10587]

And I don't really want the 2.5 RS, because it's kind of stupid to buy that and not pay just a few thousand more for the WRX. Unlike what you guys seem to think, I am not made out of money, and I'd rather not waste it buying lower models first and then trading up for newer ones. Besides, all I really want to do at this point is get the hang of manual tranny driving in a car that won't break very easily if I mess up a lot. Hondas are ultra-reliable and easy to drive, and I can get them used cheap.

Don't worry, I'm not going to turn into a ricer; I'd kill myself before I did that. But at the point I'm at right now, I wouldn't even be able to test drive a manual WRX, because there's a decent chance I'd misshift and stress the engine, or stall out the car in the middle of traffic or something. I just need to take things slow; better safe than sorry.

Thanks for all your help. I guess the STi will remain a dream car for a few more years, as it probably should. But at least when I finally do get it, it will be ten times more enjoyable